A Story
by Pritam
Summary: A spiritual account of Jasmine and Youseuf
1. Default Chapter

'A Message From The Soul'  
  
They say, that sometimes, the soul is the passageway into other realms. Over the course of many years of meditations, here are the patterns that I have generated. Let me write them down, so that, like the diviners who used to read the patterns of tea leaves, for glimpses into the future, I will be able to, hopefully, glimpse into my own future.  
  
Once, when I was meditating, I received these strings of messages and thought patterns, which, simply, seemed to waift up from the depths of my soul. Here are the journal entries of Jasmine. Jasmine wrote them down, after she had meditated. The journal entries are the visions generated from her meditations.  
  
9 August, 1972 Zahedan City, Zahedan Province - Iran  
  
Dear Diary  
  
I had not much better to do today, so I ventured deep into the meditative state of mind, and I am recording that which I have seen.  
  
At first, I could not see much of anything, but then, the picture in my mind, that my soul was reading, from the spiritual realm, began to crystallize, and I could see an old and wizened man. He looked like a Semitic person, and he was leaning, hunched-backed over a wooden card table. He had a quill feather in his right hand, and he was leaning over yellowed manuscript paper. I zeroed in on what he was writing down, here it was:  
  
My name is Ali, and my age is getting the best of me. Still, it is amazing that I can remember what I do about the Ismaels. They were an interesting and a noble family. They were the finest family in Baluchistan, Pakistan. But, it was the patriarch of the family, Dawfud, who really stood out to anyone who met him. He was DIFFERENT! I mean, one could tell this just by looking in his eyes. When a person looked into Dawfud's eyes, one saw a very commanding spirit, with a violent, and aggressive yellowish hue. His eyes were a very deep and fiery sapphire colour, that reminded me of a very turbulent sea. His eyes suggested that he was a very deep man, who would always ponder many ideas at once, and as the currents of the sea conflict themselves, the thoughts in his mind, and soul would conflict, and this would be borne out through his eyes.  
  
He had a pretty wife, named Mariam. Mariam was a very delicate creature; who reminded me of a faerie in various mythologies around the world. There was something mythical and magical about her. She had an almost supernatural quality to her, and it was obvious when one looked into her eyes. I will not hesitate to admit that I know that the eyes are the gateway to the soul. That is why eye contact can either make a person vulnerable, or invincible. She, too, had blue eyes, but they were a much calmer and milder tone of blue than that of her husband. Her eyes reminded me of fine and polished sapphires. When I looked into her eyes, I would always be bewitched by the sheer mystique and beauty of them. It was as though, by looking into her eyes, I would be drawn into the soul. She had a very caring and compassionate soul.  
  
People say that opposites attract. For most of my life, I have not believed this to be true, but I began to change my mind when I met the Ismaels. The two, husband and wife, were opposites of each other. When I first met the two, I had a niggling and intuitive feeling that their meeting, and their marriage MUST have been inspired by a supernatural force. Their description of their unique meeting, and wedding simply confirmed my initial hunch! Let me start by describing their physical appearance.  
  
Dawfud was 6'5" tall. He reminded me of a fierce and tall tribal man. Like most tribal men, he stood fierce and proud, and was always proud of his family and his lineage. For him, family and lineage was the world, and those two elements, as well as family honour were what defined life for him. I know that many people in the west may look upon way of viewing the world as quite narrow, but from the standpoint of the Baluchi tribals, such a way of viewing the world is indeed quite rich and diverse. Most Baluchi tribal people are darker in complexion, and they have darker hair and eyes. But, Dawfud stood out, he reminded me of the tall strand of wheat that stood out, towering above the other stalks, and gleaming in the Sun, in fierce rebellion and defiance. In fact, it was the tallness and the rebellious nature of that outlier wheat strand that appeared to give it a supernatural aura, which the Sun brought out. It is difficult to explain, but upon meeting Dawfud, you got the impression that there was something that was JUST DIFFERENT about him! He had sandy blonde hair that gleamed in the Sun, and reminded me of the reflection that gleaming fields of wheat give under the Sun. Dawfud also had a pearly white complexion, which, as I mentioned earlier is rare for Baluchis.  
  
Mariam, his wife was 5'4" tall. She was very skinny in frame. She had a haunting beauty in her face. She had an oval shaped face, and she had lots of curly black hair. She was Muslim, and she was traditional minded, so she always covered her hair with the scarf. But she let a few tendrils of her hair hang down either side of her face; that made her face look very memorable. She had porcelain white skin, which was very gentle in appearance. She reminded me of a mythical pearl in a unique oyster shell. The minute you took the pearl out and looked at it, you were blinded by its translucent milky white glow, with glittery undertones, that shone with a supernatural glow. Mariam was from Zahedan province in Iran. Zahedan province borders Baluchistan province in Pakistan, which is where Dawfud was from. In fact, Zahedan lies in the region of Sistan via Baluchistan in Iran.  
  
Now, Mariam was a very gentle, loving and forgiving person. When she talked, her voice was soothing. It seemed as though God was talking through her body when she spoke. Whenever I heard her talk, I would always be lulled into a very sedated and altered state of mind. I could feel a very nice natural high coming over my mind and body, and I could feel thoughts and knowledge wafting up through my soul from the spiritual realm, whenever she talked. Her husband, on the other hand, had a very directing and booming voice. He had a commanding voice and presence, and you knew that you could never fool, nor mess with him! He wanted the truth, and he KNEW how to obtain it from other people. Dawfud was a very serious person, and one look at you from his eyes, and you melted, and shrunk back in fear. Then you broke down and admitted all of your wrong doings to him.  
  
Dawfud was a very responsible and serious person. He showed a precocious aptitude for chores and responsibility at a young age. He was doing household chores on a regular basis by the age of 3. This is a time when other youngsters want to go outside and play. He was a studious and adept student, and he took his academics seriously, as though his life depended on his obtaining perfect marks. He showed incredible seriousness, and a very precocious ability to be responsible by the time he was in his teens. He was a very somber and serious youngster, and he was well beyond his years in terms of his maturity. He also had an amazing sense of discipline, which he followed with amazing precision through out his life. He had an uncanny sense of ethics and morality, which he always followed. He even went out of his way to not to business with those whom he even remotely thought might be corrupt! When I knew him, he had 6 children, and I knew that he was always the disciplinarian. His wife's more gentle temperament balanced his more stormy and commanding one. I knew he was the one who towed the line, laid down the law, and expected absolute conformity, and compliance, from his children.  
  
However, I sometimes wonder if his austere and strict ways of bringing up his children hadn't been what had inspired Youseuf to rebel in the ways that he did. Youseuf may have looked exactly like his father, but he acted totally different from his father, and his personality was much different. True, Youseuf was a gentleman, but he was much more liberal in mindset and outlook. Youseuf was fun-loving, though he was a very serious and responsible person, as well. Also, unlike his father, Youseuf showed the amazing ability to support himself at a young age. I remember him working at least 40 hours a week by the age of 7. Youseuf had paid his entire way through college and graduate school. Dawfud may have been a strict disciplinarian, and a person who always adheres to the rules, but Youseuf had an independent spirit and streak to his soul, and he had rebellious tendencies. He sought to bend and make the rules in his own image. He never broke the law, but he did find interesting ways of doing things. He reminded me of JASMINE. Perhaps that is why he fell in love with her, and he married her. On Earth, she was born as Prita, but then she went through a profound spiritual transformation, and over the years, through much deep meditation, and deep spiritual ponderings, she broke out of the 'cages' that she said 'bound her in her misery for centuries' and became Jasmine, the eternal spirit from God's realm, who, at one time, ate ambrosia from the cups at the table of God and the spiritual deities. In the process, she acquired supernatural powers. I could describe Jasmine even further, but that is a discussion for another day. 


	2. A Story Ch II

10 August, 1972.  
  
My name is Jasmine; I have not much to do, so I have decided to resume story writing about the Ismail family. My mind hones in on 'Ali', and, once again, I begin to pick up impulses of him, sitting hunched over that wooden table, writing his story. Images of this man begin to materialize in my mind, and it was at then that I decided to let him resume the writing.  
  
The following is an excerpt from 'Ali's' diary.  
  
10 September 2006  
  
The Ismail's were a very interesting family. I remember them 'standing' out from the others in their town. I suppose you could say they were 'independent-minded', in that they conducted business, as usual, without caring for what others thought of them. I have always felt THAT was their strong point. I mean, it has been my experience that those who care about the thoughts of others, before they undertake decisions, which will affect their lives, wind up making rather silly life choices. I have found that those who cared a damn for what their neighbours thought of them ended up being the real 'winners' in life. Most in their town had the usual arranged marriage, but, Dawfud was different, and he told me about the conditions under which he wed Mariam. He told me that he felt 'God' had joined him and Mariam together. I have heard of the phrase 'marriages are made in heaven', and didn't really think much of it, until I heard Dawfud's story. It's so interesting that it began to make me think of 'divine intervention' in peoples' lives as being a reality, however abstract, and not as a mere theoretical concept. Here is the way the account was afforded to me by Dawfud:  
  
As fate would have it, Dawfud was a young man, who was working for his father's carpet industry, in Baluchistan, a province in Pakistan. He was a very promising, and aspiring young man. I have seen him work, and have noted that there are few men in this world who are as diligent, or as intelligent workers, as he was. Somehow, there seemed to be a special force that drove him! He reminded me of one of those people who were so motivated that they PRESSURED themselves to succeed! In any case, as with all bright men, he had shown this astuteness at a very young age, and his father had taken note of this, and had decided to transfer accounts, and responsibilities to him at a very young age. I do remember him being a much more serious minded person, someone who was very moral, and someone with a demeanour, whom people would take seriously. He had a strong work ethic, as well, which is why I knew he would make a successful businessman. Well, I have taken enough time trying to give you a synopsis of this man's personality, now time for his own account!  
  
10 December 1972  
  
Dear Diary:  
  
IN the name of Allah, The Merciful, and the beneficial, I, Dawfud, am making this journal entry. Something very interesting and auspicious happened today. I had just arisen from my sleeping quarters, when my father called me to my father's office. I, quickly obliged, but when I did so, he slipped a letter in my hand. He informed me that a Miss. Mariam Moises had written it. I was shocked because it's not the custom for women to conduct serious affairs of business, that's more a man's job in this part of the world. I don't agree with such nostrums, myself, but seeing as Baluchistan is in the more tribal areas of the world, which is amazingly resistant to any kind of modernity, which my family, and I so adhere to. I surmised that this woman must come from a progressive [Muslim] family, because a traditional patriarchal family would NEVER let a young woman conduct business!  
  
I opened the letter, and was stunned to find out that this Mariam is a Commerce graduate. She lives in the town of Zahedan, in Sistan via Baluchistan Province in neighbouring Iran! I have never been to Iran, despite the fact that my family's business has a very prominent presence all over the Middle East, and The Gulf!  
  
It appeared, from the letter, that this woman was 20 years old, I am 24, and she was quite interested in doing business with us. Enclosed in the letter, was an order for rugs, and she had specifically requested that I come to her hometown to fulfill the requisition! I was amazed, such must be her boldness, and her independent spirit to proposition an elder man, despite her status of being an unmarried woman[1](  
  
I told my father the message of the letter, and much to my shock, he commanded that I, personally, go by myself to meet her! "But FATHER!" I protested, "What of our family honour[2][3], and our name?" My father answered, "Ask not me, I felt, by reading the letter, that the meeting between Mariam, and you was destined by some sort of 'higher power.' I feel that she is your soul mate!" I was shocked, and had no idea what my father was hinting at. Meekly, I asked, "Dear father, what are you hinting at?" Dawfud replied, "I command you to go to Zahedan to meet her!" I remember a force [the scientific definition for this is adrenaline] rushing through my body, that invoked fear, and shock. I was, literally, electrified with both feelings, and I could feel my cheeks flushing with energy. I became quite florid in appearance, and for the time being, was, literally speaking, beside myself in shock and daze. I stuttered, "Well.well.if.you.want." I could feel an immense rush of shock coming over me, and suddenly, I could see a huge wall of swirling colours surrounding my line of vision, coming together suddenly, resembling dot-like art of the early 20th century in Western Europe. I panted for breath, and I could feel myself hyperventilating. I gasped loudly for air so that I could quell the feeling of shock that I was experiencing. I, blindly, rushed out of my father's office, and hurried down the hall, into my room.  
  
There is an old lamp, which has been a family heirloom for generations, which is my favourite, which is why it is in my room. My father entrusted me with its care, because he trusted me as being a responsible person who would oversee responsible stewardship regarding its care. Often times, late at night, when I am mulling over the 'books' and when I am 'keeping accounts'[4], and I also like to spend many a fair night [and day] reading books, while keeping its friendly fire for my company. So, I marveled at this lamp, once again. The lamp is composed of a metal cylinder, and is has a wooden circular table around the cylinder, approximately four feet above the ground. The table has a donut hole in the center (to accommodate the cylinder), and is varnished. The table is made out of fine mahogany wood. Projecting up from the top of the table is a round cylindrical tube of glass, with an open top. There's a gas burner in the tube, and I turn the gas on in this tube when I want to light the lamp. Today, I turned the lamp on, and I read the letter. 'Ha.ha.so she wants a req of 20 yards of fine carpet?" I was quite impressed that she was writing me.  
  
In any case, I was spent for the evening, so I went to bed.  
  
The following are comments made by Ali  
  
10 August, 2006 Sharjah, UAE  
  
Dear Diary:  
  
So far, there might not be much indication of a spiritual event, but the story gets more interesting. This is JUST the beginning. I was SO amazed by the account that Dawfud, and later his son, Youeuf afforded me, that I, literally, couldn't believe it. In any case, I think you'll find it to be quite interesting. In my next journal entry, I will describe Dawfud's accounts of traveling through the desert. For those of you who believe that 'divine intervention' is nonsense, and 'stuff of legend', don't form opinions so quickly, not until you've read the next journal entry, because, it will, literally, blow your mind!  
  
----------------------- [1] In many Muslim, and 'Traditional' societies, it is not considered proper for a woman, who is not married, to ask an elder man (married or not) to her residence, without the approval of an elder male relative. This convention is changing, what with 'globalization', but, often times, 'old habits die hard.' [2] The concept of Family honour is very valued in Muslim, and in "Traditional" societies. And, the act of Dawfud meeting Mariam would have violated the Ismail's family honour.  
  
[3] This is popular business lingo for basic bookkeeping, and accounting, which all responsible business people do. 


End file.
